Paradox and America: The
“American Way of Life”
(1966)
John Steinbeck
(He’s a BIG deal in American Literature!)
Part 1. What is it?
“We speak of the American Way of Life as though it
involved the ground rules for the governance of
heaven…We scramble and scrabble up the stony
path toward the pot of gold we have taken to mean
security. We trample friends, relatives, and
strangers who get in the way of our achieving it,
and once we get it we shower it on psychoanalysts
to try to find out why we are unhappy, and finally,
if we have enough of the gold we contribute it back
to the nation in the form of foundations and
charities.”
Translation: J. Cole might
say…
“In the States, it’s called the American
Dream…What does it always include? A lot
of…money, a big ass house, a brand new car, and a
wife that’s like, not even genetically possible to have,
right? That’s what they tell us we need to be
happy…And I went to go get it. And I got it. But I’m
here to tell y’all, up close and personal that sh**
don’t feel right and I’m here to tell y’all all that sh**
they told us was bullsh** and it’s not important and
that’s not what matters. And how do I know that? I
know that because right now there’s a man who has
a million…dollars and he’s…miserable, right?”
J. Cole is an American rapper. He had a scholarship to St.
John’s University and graduated magna cum laude from
college and established Dreamville in his hometown of
Fayetteville, NC.
Vocabulary Check!
What is a paradox?
“a seemingly absurd or self-contradictory statement or
proposition that when investigated or explained may
prove to be well-founded or true:” in a paradox, he has
discovered that stepping back from his job has increased the
rewards he gleans from it.
Usually, we use it to mean “ironic” – the paradox that
standing is more tiring than walking.
Part 2. First Paradox
“Americans overindulge their children; the
children in turn are overly dependent on their
parents. We are complacent in our possessions,
in our houses, in our education; but it is hard
to find a man or woman who does not want
something better for the next generation.”
Translation: Colin Powell
might say…
“The American Dream is something that every
immigrant brought to this country, as my parents
did, and that is the ability to go as far as you can in
life, limited only by your own dreams and
willingness to work hard. And above all, the
American Dream for these folks meant that your
children will have the opportunity to do better
than you will.”
Colin Powell was born in NY to immigrant parents and
raised in the Bronx. He spent 35 years in the U.S. Army
and eventually became a 4-star general, chairman of the
Joint Chiefs of Staff, national security adviser and U.S.
Secretary of State
Part 3. Second Paradox
Now there is a set of generalities for you, each one
of them canceled out by another generality.
Americans seem to live and breathe and function
by paradox; but in nothing are we so paradoxical as
in our passionate belief in our own myths. We
truly believe ourselves to be natural-born
mechanics and do-it-yourselfers. We spend our lives
in automobiles, yet most of us--a great many of us
at least-do not know enough about a car to look in
the gas tank when the engine fails….
Part 4. Imperishable Dream
One of the characteristics most puzzling to a foreign
observer is the strong and imperishable dream the
American carries. On inspection, it is found that the dream
has little to do with reality in American life. Consider the
dream of and the hunger for home…Builders and
developers never build houses--they build homes. The dream
home is either in a small town or in a suburban area…It is a
center where a man and his wife grow graciously old,
warmed by the radiance of well-washed children and
grandchildren. Many thousands of these homes are built
every year; built, planted, advertised, and sold-and yet, the
American family rarely stays in one place for more than five
years…
Translation: Robert Reich
might say…
“The American Dream is the determination to
continue dreaming even when reality keeps
threatening to wake you up.”
Robert B. Reich, former U.S. Secretary of labor, is
professor of public policy at the University of
California at Berkeley and author of seven books.
Part 5. But still possible?
A national dream need not, indeed may not be
clear-cut and exact. For Americans too the wide
and general dream has a name. It is called "the
American Way of Life." No one can define it or
point to any one person or group who lives it, but
it is very real nevertheless... These dreams describe
our vague yearnings toward what we wish we were
and hope we may be: wise, just, compassionate,
and noble. The fact that we have this dream at all
is perhaps an indication of its possibility.
Translation: Rick Mears and
Maya Angelou might say…
“The American Dream is
about freedom. America
allows us to be able to
dream, then gives us the
ability to achieve those
dreams. For me, the
American Dream was to go
racing; for others, it’s to
pursue whatever their goals
may be.”
Rick Mears is one of only 3
four-time Indianapolis 500
winners
“The American Dream,
whether it is attainable or
not, is to have freedom,
freedom in all things. To go
as far as ambition impels us,
in work, in play, and
religion and even in love.”
Maya Angelou is a poet,
educator, historian, best-selling
author, civil rights activist,
producer, and director.
Why do you think Steinbeck
wrote this piece? Why do
people talk about this topic so
much?
(author purpose)